Road to Reason (17 page)

“Sorry we’re so late,” Michele apologized to the men when she returned to Ryan’s a few hours later.  “I wanted to make sure the coast was clear.”

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked, concerned.  His mother was in the living room with him, his father, Lucas, Mac and Jack.  Kaitlin had gone straight into the bathroom when she arrived. “Why did you have to wait until Kaitlin’s family left?”

All the men could hear the giggling as Kaitlin made her way down the hall.  Michele turned and watched Kaitlin weave slightly, then catch herself and continue on as dignified as she could. “Someone had a little bit too much to drink. I thought it was best her family didn’t witness it,” Michele said, her eyes laughing knowingly.  “I didn’t want to make things harder on you by bringing Kaitlin back tipsy in front of her brothers. I’m pretty positive they would have found a way to blame it on you.”

“Who had too much to drink?” Kaitlin demanded.  She turned to Ryan, narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger. “You promised your mother you wouldn’t let Jack drink too much.” She whirled fast, obviously caught Jack grinning at her, along with all the other men in the room, and frowned. 

Ryan choked back a laugh. This was an interesting side of Kaitlin.  “I believe you might be the only one in the room who might have had too much to drink.”

“Oh,” she said with a huff. “I had no choice.  It was Cori’s idea. And Brooke made me do it, too. It was for the pain. I just needed to numb the pain,” she said, pouting slightly.

“What pain?” Ryan asked, worried. “Are you hurt?”

“That is our cue to leave, men.  Let’s go.” Michele jerked her head to the door as Mac, Thomas and Lucas made a quick exit.  Ryan had a feeling Mac knew full well what might have happened by his sly smile, but he didn’t say a word.

Kaitlin watched the three men and Michele leave.  “Was it something I said?” she asked perplexed. “Why did they leave so quickly?  Is there any food left? I’m hungry. I need real food. Too many sweets tonight.” She pouted some more and made her way to the kitchen to forage around.

Ryan was trying to keep up with her train of thought, but it was difficult.  He looked at Jack helplessly.

“Don’t look at me,” Jack said. “I’ve got my own worries for the night.  You’re on your own.  I’ll see you in the morning.” He snickered at Ryan’s befuddled look. “I need to let Roxy out quick, and then I’ll lock up downstairs.”

Ryan turned when he heard the cabinets opening and closing. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know. Food.  What do you have?  Are there any of those little sandwiches I made left over?  I’ll just run downstairs and check,” she said quickly.

“No, why don’t you have a seat right here.” He directed her toward a bar stool at the island, grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, then placed the water and a bottle of aspirin in front of her.   “Drink that. Take two aspirin, and I’ll bring up some food.”

“What do I need aspirin for? I don’t have a headache.”

“Not now you don’t. It will help for the one you’ll have in the morning.”

He returned a few minutes later with a mixed tray of leftover foods that had been stored in the galley kitchen of the guest suite.  “How much did you have to drink?” he asked.

“Three, no, four glasses of wine. But the last two I drank really fast. One right after the other. To dull the pain,” she told him with a nod. “It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Beth was right.”

“What pain? What are you talking about?”  He looked at her from head to toe, but didn’t see anything that could be wrong.

“Oh, there’s roast beef left,” she said, excited, and reached for the sandwich. “I love roast beef. I don’t eat it very much though. Thanks for leaving me some,” she told him sweetly. “Do you have any chips? Now I need salt.  I can’t believe all the sweets there tonight. All I’ve had for the last few hours are desserts and wine. My teeth hurt, it was all so sweet.”

Ryan reached into another cabinet, pulled out a bag of chips, then watched while she ripped them open and dug in like she hadn’t eaten in days. “Keep drinking. The whole bottle of water, maybe even another one.  With any luck you will be fine in the morning.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine in the morning. No worries. But will you be?” she said giggling again.

“What does that mean?” He had no idea what she was talking about. And he couldn’t keep up.

She finished her sandwich in two more bites, devoured a handful of chips and downed the bottle of water.  “I’m done.  Now it’s time for your surprise.”

“Surprise, huh? I’m pretty sure I’m seeing my surprise now.” He was grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, baby.”  She stood up and managed to walk perfectly straight across his living room and up the stairs.

Ryan shook his head while he watched her walk up the stairs in front of him, hips swaying, her body moving fluently. She rounded the corner to his room and started to take off her shirt, only to have it get hung up on her shoulders. Ryan watched while she twisted and turned in an attempt to free herself. “Here, sweetheart, let me help you with that.” He chuckled and gave her shirt a slight tug, helping to pull it over her head the rest of the way. “Let’s get you in bed.”

“We’re getting in bed, all right,” she said, a wicked gleam coming into her eyes that had him catching his breath. 

Heaven help him, it was going to be a long night.  He had rules. And having sex with a drunken woman was something he never did. No matter how much he was tempted.  He pulled one of his T-shirts out of his drawer and tossed it to her. “Put that on and get in bed.”

She caught the shirt one-handed, then let it fall to the floor.  “I didn’t gulp two glasses of wine in record time to dull the pain for nothing,” she said in a warning. “I’m not ready for bed yet.  Besides, you haven’t seen your surprise.  I did it for you,” she boasted with a lopsided grin.

Again with the pain thing. “I’ll bite, what’s my surprise?”

“I like it when you bite.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

He tried not to laugh, because it seriously wasn’t funny anymore. He wasn’t sure he could take much more of her flirtatious banter and keep his hands to himself. Especially with her standing in front of him wearing only a pale pink bra and white shorts.  “Another night. I promise, but I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“You think I’m drunk.” She laughed at him.  “Can a drunk person do this?” She stood on her left leg, lifted her right leg in front of her, grabbed it with her right hand, her heel facing him, as she stood steady.

She held that stance for five seconds without a wobble, then while still holding onto her right leg, shifted her hips and spread her leg all the way to the side, heel now pointing away from him.  Then she held her pose and smirked at him. Arms spread wide like a T, one foot being held by her fingers.

Wow, she was flexible.  Her leg spread wide and pointed out at a ninety-degree angle shouldn’t have turned him on. But it did.  And she gave no indication of dropping the pose.

“Want to me switch legs?” She quickly dropped her right leg, grabbed her left foot with her left hand and gracefully moved that leg to a ninety-degree angle.  “See, not drunk. Just loose. Ha, get it, I’m loose.” She giggled again.

He was convinced.  She could normally drink two glasses of wine in a night and not be affected. Four shouldn’t have gotten her drunk. It must have been the speed she had those last two, mixed with the sweets. But she seemed to be coming off the high now and in full control of her faculties. If not a bit playful.

“So what is this surprise I keep hearing about?”

“Oh yeah,” she said, then dropped her leg down.  “Of course it’s probably not a surprise to you.  I mean a first for you. But it is for me and I did it for you, so it’s still a surprise.”

He watched while she struggled to undo the button and zipper on her shorts, then wiggle out of them.  He admired the jiggle of her breasts as she undressed—he absolutely loved her breasts.

She stood up, unhooked her bra and tossed it to the side.  Getting better and better, he thought, but still wasn’t sure what this surprise was. Not that he wasn’t happy with what she was doing so far.  “That’s nice. No surprise yet. But don’t stop,” he said, encouraging her.

“I’m getting there,” she told him.  She grabbed the waistband of her panties, bent over, wiggled out of them, and stood back up fast with her arms out to the side. “Ta-da.”

Holy shit.  Every brain cell he possessed shot straight to his groin.  “Wow. That is a nice surprise,” he said, cheerfully.

“Do you like it? You better,” she said, scolding him. “Because I’m not sure I’m ever doing it again.  But it feels kind of...freeing to be honest.  So who knows, maybe I will.”  She started to stalk toward him. “Don’t you want to see your surprise up close?” she asked seductively.

“Absolutely,” he rasped out.  Making quick work of his clothes, he sent them flying across the room. He grabbed her head in his hands, pulling her forward for a scorching kiss.

Her hands fisted in his hair, her urgency feeding his own.  Backing her a few feet toward the bed, he pushed her on top of the comforter.  Standing back he looked his fill at her, in all her glory.  Just lying there, waiting for him, all of his favorite bits on display for his viewing pleasure.

He didn’t know where to start. No, that wasn’t true, he knew exactly where he was going to start. She did it for him, and he was going to show her how much he appreciated it. 

One, then two pillows were slid under her hips, raising them higher for his eager mouth.  Positioned on his knees, he slid his arms under the back of her thighs and lowered his mouth to her, tasting her essence.

She was so sweet, and all his.  He was relentless, couldn’t get enough of her, continuing on and on, sending her over the edge of reality quickly. 

Not letting up, he feasted some more, lifted those hips higher, wanting to hear her scream his name.  Lowering her hips back to the pillows, he slid two fingers inside of her, her warmth and wetness surrounding him.  In and out, hard then fast, he worked his magic, never letting up with his mouth.

The sound of her begging him to continue only fed his hunger more.  He continued to move his mouth, his tongue, tasting all of her, pumping his fingers faster, until he felt her body clamp down, heard his name shouted again, and felt her body release all the pent up nerves of arousal.

She lay there limp, all the energy seemingly sapped from her body.   His arms went around her legs again, spreading them wider, lifting them higher.  Slowly, he entered her.  The pleasure caused her to arch her back even higher off the bed, her hands gripping the pillows that helped position her hips. “Ryan,” she choked out. “Oh my God.”

On his knees on the bed, her legs spread wide on top of the pillows and held by his arms, he filled her completely, deeply.  Holding her still, he had to look. Had to see the results of pain she went through for her surprise, all for him. 

Feverishly, he slammed his hips into her.  Moans turned into cries of ecstasy. He didn’t have time to wonder if they were hers or his. Didn’t even care.   All he cared about was getting to the end, feeling her body clench around him again.

He lifted her legs higher, placing her feet over his shoulders, freeing one of his hands and putting it to work.  He brought her to the very edge while he continued to stroke her body to another level. 

She was close, he knew, so he sped up the rhythm of his hips, matching it with his hand. Finally, with a shout that sounded like it was ripped from her throat, she convulsed around him.  Squeezed him tight, milking him dry.

Collapsing on top of her, he rolled them both to their side, off the pillows. Holding her tight, he stroked her back while she gasped for air, trying to calm her racing heart, along with his own.

“It was so worth it,” she said, sighing blissfully.

She
was so worth it, Ryan thought.  But kept those words to himself.     

The next morning Kaitlin rolled over, sat on the side of the bed, placed her head in her hands, and took inventory of her body.  After a few seconds she realized she felt pretty good.  Aside from feeling like she could drink a gallon of water. 

She glanced at the clock: it was later than she realized. Looking around the room in confusion at the darkness, she then noticed Ryan had closed all the blinds.  That was nice of him.

Standing up, she went to gather clean undergarments and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower and brush of her teeth.  Fifteen minutes later she made her way down the stairs, across the living room and into the kitchen were she encountered five strangers. She let out a loud screech, turned and ran back upstairs.

***

Ryan and Jack having heard the yell came running in from the deck, only to witness the backside of Kaitlin running up the stairs wearing only Ryan’s shirt, her wet hair slapping against her back.

Jack turned to Ryan. “I think she forgot about my wedding,” he said dryly. “Must be all those brain cells that flew from her mouth when she was screaming last night.”

Ryan smirked.  “Don’t you dare say that to her. And sorry about that,” he said, ruefully grinning

“No worries.  I anticipated the situation and had ear buds in listening to music.” He laughed.  “But I’m pretty sure Roxy heard everything, if her head popping up and looking mystified three times was any indication.”

Ryan shook his head. “I’ll be back out in a few minutes. Brooke should be here soon with Lucas.  They wanted to come over to help with any finishing touches before Beth showed up to get the girls ready.” 

He watched Jack nod and walk back outside, then went into the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee for Kaitlin and decided to grab a muffin from the box she purchased the day before.

A few minutes later he opened his bedroom door, didn’t see her, but heard the hairdryer running in his bathroom.  He set down her breakfast on the little table in the seating area and went to check on her.

She was fully dressed in shorts and a pretty flowing top, her hair almost completely dried.  He stood in the doorway and watched her for a second. She was just beautiful.  Everything about her tugged at him.  Only he wasn’t sure how he felt about it at the moment.  Conflicted for sure.

The movement in the doorway had her jumping once again. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “You scared me.  And sorry about embarrassing you a few minutes ago.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“Walking downstairs dressed like that.  What must they think? I’m pretty mortified to be caught walking around wearing only your shirt, my hair still wet and slicked back from my face, not a lick of makeup on.” She shuddered.

“They probably think I’m a pretty lucky guy,” he said and made his way toward her.  She tilted her head at him as if she didn’t believe him, so he took matters into his own hands and pulled her close.  Holding her tight, he rubbed her back.  “Relax, no one really cares. Least of all me.  Come on, let’s have a seat and get some breakfast into you. How do you feel?”

She picked up her cup of coffee, and took a sip.  “I feel good. I told you I wasn’t drunk last night,” she reminded him.

“Just loose,” he said, smiling sweetly at her.

She blushed.  “Yeah, well.  Blame Cori,” she muttered. “Or better yet, blame your sister-in-law.” She grimaced. “She’s the one who handed me the second glass of wine so we could do it together. I hope she feels worse than me this morning.”

“I’m not blaming either of them. I think I’ll thank them when they get here. That was one hell of a surprise,” he said appreciatively. Then he stopped and thought for a second. “Please don’t tell me everyone did that last night. My mother was there,” he stated, horrified at the possibility.

Kaitlin groaned. “Don’t remind me.  And no, your mother and Cori’s mother didn’t partake in this particular activity. Though Cori’s grandmother did.” She laughed at his pained expression.  “I know, right.  I don’t want to think about it. I might be scarred for life by the images. Anyway, that only left Cori, myself, Brooke and Beth.  Beth assured us it didn’t really hurt, but when Brooke heard Cori yelping in the other room, she grabbed those second glasses of wine for us to drink.”

“It sounds like you girls had a good time.  That’s all that matters.”

“Ryan,” she hedged. He patiently waited for her to continue. “Everyone is going to know.  I can’t believe I did that.”

“Know what?”

“That we had sex last night,” she whispered. “I had already embarrassed myself in front of your mother on the drive over. Then my comment before the waxing. They will all know,” she said, whining and burying her face in her hands.

He laughed, loudly.  “Kaitlin, I can assure you they all know we’ve had sex.”

“Yeah, but they know we had it
last night,
” she pointed out.

He rolled his eyes. “My guess is so did Beth and Brooke. So what’s the big deal?”

“But your mom knows, too,” she reminded him.

He laughed again, enjoying her embarrassment. “My mother is fully aware that I have sex.”

“Yeah, but not only does she know we had it last night, but she knows what I did for you.  I even said ‘let’s give Ryan a thrill.’  What must she think of me? That was after she said the nicest thing to me on the drive over.  Then I went and did that!”

He lifted her up and placed her on his lap.  He loved that she made that comment last night in front of everyone.  He knew she had hidden depths of passion and was thrilled she was using them on him and not some other guy.  But he glossed over that comment and focused on his mother. “What did she say to you on the drive over?”

“It was uncomfortable to be with her alone,” she started to say. Then told him the brief conversation they had on the drive to Brooke’s. “I’m not so sure you are good for me,” she said nervously.

He froze, hesitated and asked, “Why is that?”  He was afraid to know; afraid this was it, that she was ready to end it.

“I’ve never embarrassed myself so much in my life since I met you.  It never seems to end.  How can that be good for me?”

He exhaled slowly, not wanting her to know how much he held his breath waiting for her answer. “It just shows you’re human.  Trust me, you still had it easier than I did last night.  You only had my mother there, who adores you.  I had to sit across from a table full of your brothers and father.  Tell me who had it harder,” he said trying to ease her anxiety—and still his own racing heart after thinking the worst.

“Oh. I guess you’re right.  They didn’t say anything last night did they? I’ll talk to them.”

He wasn’t about to tell her about the bet. He wasn’t sure if she knew about it, either way, it wasn’t coming from his mouth if she didn’t. But something told him her brothers might have said something already.   Nor would he tell her Lucas’s comment regarding the bet and everyone’s reaction. Including his own.  “No. It was fine.  But it’s still uncomfortable. Though to be honest, I think it’s more uncomfortable for Ben than it is anyone else.”

He laughed, remembering how Ben kept scowling at him every time Lucas threw out a comment on Ryan’s relationship.  No one else seemed to be taking the bait, least of all Ryan, who only grinned and gave it right back to Lucas about muddling his own way though things with Brooke.  But Ben, he still was having a hard time with things, if his frowns and glares were any indication.

“Ben and I are close.  He is the most protective of me,” she said with love in her voice.  “I think more so now. Something has changed with him.” Her expression turned more serious.  “We all know something is going on deep inside of him.  I hope he can find his way out.  But for now he seems to be more protective than ever of me.  He’ll be fine. Give him time,” she said, then patted Ryan’s leg.  “And now, let’s go down and see what other help they need before we all have to start getting ready for the wedding.” She looked at the clock. “In less than three hours from now.”

***

“Sorry if Brooke startled you guys last night. I tried to keep her quiet,” Lucas said, joking when he stood on the deck with Jack, Ryan, Kaitlin and her.

On cue Brooke blushed and then playfully swatted her husband’s arm.  She looked at Kaitlin who was blushing and trying her best to focus on the yard that was currently getting the finishing touches for the wedding. 

Jack played the peacemaker. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Of course Lucas couldn’t let that go, Brooke thought with a slight shake of her head. “Ryan, I’m disappointed in you,” he said, elbowing his brother.

Brooke grabbed Kaitlin’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. I want to make sure there is enough spacing with the chairs for the ceremony.” The two girls made their way down the stairs to the lawn where there were fifty chairs neatly lined up in five rows, five chairs on each side so the bride could walk down the center of the pink carpet.  Nothing needed to be done, but Brooke didn’t want to stand there listening to the brothers trying to outdo each other at their expense.